Gustavus Adolphus College

All members of the English Department are happy to talk with students about pursuing graduate studies in a variety of fields. Below, we've compiled a list of our areas of disciplinary expertise. We suggest you first begin a conversation about graduate studies with your advisor, and then, for more specific information, talk with a faculty member in your area of interest.

• Florence Amomoto: American Literature (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Elizabeth Baer: Postcolonial Studies (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Laura Behling: American Literature (M.A., Ph.D.), American Studies (M.A., Ph.D.), Journalism (M.A. or M.S.)
• Phil Bryant: Creative Writing (M.F.A., Ph.D.), Literary Studies (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Sean Cobb: Film Studies and American Literature (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Deborah Downs-Miers: British Literature (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Rebecca Taylor Fremo: Rhetoric and Composition (M.A., Ph.D.), Creative Writing (M.F.A.)
• Baker Lawley: Creative Writing (M.F.A., Ph.D.)
• So-Young Park: British Literature (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Don Scheese: American Studies (M.A., Ph.D.), American Literature (M.A., Ph.D.), Cultural Studies (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Joyce Sutphen: British Literature (M.A., Ph.D.), Creative Writing (M.F.A., Ph.D.)

Graduate Studies Resources

These are some suggested online resources for those contemplating graduate school in English.

Suzanne Keen (a professor of English at Washington and Lee University) has a page full of honest advice about graduate school, for PhD. as well as MA programs.

The University of Washington also has a good site that answers questions about grad school.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is a good place to check the pulse of academia.

John Guillory has a brief but concise essay on "Preprofessionalism: What Graduate Students Want." [ADE Bulletin 113 (Spring 1996): 4-8.] This is available online at the ADE (Association of Departments of English) website, along with a number of other essays on graduate education.

A few years ago Gerald Graff and Andrew Honerek put together a good essay on reviewing graduate student applications [Gerald Graff and Andrew Hoberek, "Opinion: Hiding it from the kids (with apologies to Simon and Garfunkel)" College English 62.2 (1999): 242-54.].

The Modern Language Association regularly issues evaluations of the state of the profession; note especially the "Report from MLA Committee on Professional Employment"

US News & World Report has graduate school rankings and articles.